Yam of God

[pdellarocca]

A sweet potato beer just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving...well, we missed the mark (complete failure on our 'test' run). Either way, it was a week late but it will be just on time for American Thanksgiving.

Yam Of God Vol.2

ABV 8.5%
OG 1.068
FG 1.006
IBU 21.88
Efficiency:71%

Ingredients:
15 lbs 2 row
5 lbs sweet potatoes (peeled, baked and mashed)
2 lbs Vienna (L5)
1lb Crystal (L60)
1lb Victory (L27)
1oz Fuggles (4.9%) (60 mins)
1oz Hallertauer (4.5%) (10 mins)
1 tea spoon of irish moss
1 packet of Safale-05

Mash info:
Strike temp 170
Mash temp 149

Tasting Notes

Smell is sweet and strong. A slight flowery hint
Appearance is beautiful Amber/Orange, very clear, very little head but it is resilient (similar to that of some stronger IPAs)

Taste is very strong at first (tastes very Alcohol-y). On the finish there is nice interplay between the honey and caramel. Right at the end there is a slight tickling sensation at the base of one’s jawline. Carbonation is smooth.

The beer is very filling and not very refreshing. If a dessert beer existed it would fall under that category.

I Think it needs at least three more weeks in the bottle.

 

[Chug]

Sounds delicious, but why you mash so low? I would've mashed in the mid 150's to get some sweetness & body for a "sweet potato" beer.

 

[CBMbrewer]

Sounds delicious, but why you mash so low? I would've mashed in the mid 150's to get some sweetness & body for a "sweet potato" beer.

Exactly.
That may be why it tastes 'alcohol-y'.

 

[pdellarocca]

Sounds delicious, but why you mash so low? I would've mashed in the mid 150's to get some sweetness & body for a "sweet potato" beer.

It wasn't the intent. we wanted to mash at 155 but we mashed outdoors and it was somewhat cooler than we thought. We may strike higher next time. Any other ways we can attack that issue? It was my second full mash ever so help would be appreciated.

Overall the taste is good it just tastes a little immature. Sweetness isn't a concern; it is really sweet. As I mentioned almost like a dessert.

 

[Chug]

It wasn't the intent. we wanted to mash at 155 but we mashed outdoors and it was somewhat cooler than we thought. We may strike higher next time. Any other ways we can attack that issue? It was my second full mash ever so help would be appreciated.

Overall the taste is good it just tastes a little immature. Sweetness isn't a concern; it is really sweet. As I mentioned almost like a dessert.

Beersmith. It especially works wonders when your system is dialed in. It's scary how accurate it is.

 

[TheHairyHop]

Exactly.
That may be why it tastes 'alcohol-y'.

I doubt it. He also said it's very sweet, which would make sense because there are plenty of complex sugars and carbs that wouldn't have been broken down or fermented. If anything, I would pick a low mash temp on purpose to counter act the natural sweetness of the yam

 

[pdellarocca]

So after 3 weeks, I am very happy with this beer. Still sweet but the complexity of the malt profile is excellent. It is smooth and very full bodied. The initial alcohol-y flavor seems to have gone away. The only draw back is that the beer doesn't taste or smell much like sweet potatoes. The pic is attached but it is also available here: http://pdellarocca.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/yam-of-god-week-3/